Reasons for Designation
Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches,
often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more
islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some
cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites
served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the
provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical
military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was
between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in
central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built
throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and
exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a
significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding
of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples
provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.
Details
The moated site at Old Hall, Bolton includes a main site with two rectangular
islands, defined by a silted and now dry moat, a smaller moated site attached
to the south-eastern corner of the main site, and an outer moat which lies to
the north and east of the main site which includes a fishpond in its northern
arm.
The two islands of the main moated site are both orientated north-east to
south-west. The northern island measures 100m long and 30m wide; the southern
island measures 70m long by 40m wide. The moat which divides these two islands
is 2m deep and 11m wide; the enclosing moat is between 1.5m and 2m deep and
10m wide.
The smaller moated site lies to the south-east of the main site and is
attached to the eastern corner of the main moat by a short silted channel. The
enclosed island of this smaller site is 10m long south-east to north-west and
6m wide and is enclosed by a (now dry) moat 0.5m deep and 3m-4m wide. To the
north and east of the main moated site an outer moat is separated from the
main moat by an earthen bank 30m wide. The eastern arm of this outer moat is
10m wide and 2m deep at its deepest point. At the northern end it is shallower
where it has been partially infilled; at its southern end it has been largely
infilled and partially built over. The northern arm of this outer moat is 1m
deep and 6m wide. A section of it has been widened to form a fishpond which is
26m long east-west, 13m wide and 1.5m deep. Originally this outer moat would
have been connected to the moat around the main site; the nature and position
of any such link is now not clear. There is no evidence that the outer moat
originally extended around the west and south sides of the main moated site,
although slight earthworks to the south of the latter may be a remnant of an
intermediate bank similar to that on the north and east.
The monument was the site of a house owned by Ralph de Micklefield de Birkin,
nephew of Archbishop Grey, and Robert de Bolton, one of Yorkshire's medieval
Members of Parliament.
All telegraph poles which stand on the site are excluded from the scheduling
but the ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21195
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
